The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-11-19
A BIT OF GLASS.
The Strange Pathetic Will of a
Luclzless Refugee.

s'Your trouble is overwork-lungs
are sound-heat all right--go to the
mountains for a months shooting.
Rough it for four weeks and you are
safe for years of work.
Ny physician pronounced this ulti-
matum and left me. His advice fell in
with my inclination. For somewhat
over fortnight had been 'Toughing
it, in the mountains in the interior of
Virginia. To lose my bearings so COM
pletely seemed an absurdity in one ac-
customed to long hunting expeditions,
nevertheless all day long [ had seen
neither mountaineer nor mountainccr'
cabin. 1t was keen and chilly-an at
mosphere conducive to a relish for the
most homely of suppers Tired, hungry
and baf1led by the incomprehensible
topography of those great ridges, my
perplexity deepened into the gloomy
certainty Of supperless bed under the
pines. 1t frightened suddenly when a
tall man in homespun, with an ancient
gun upon his shoulder. slowly crossed
the rayine below me. A moment later
! was beside him.
Hits bout dark now, stranger
YOU Just come home wild me-Joe
Craddeck of Fodder Top Ridge
faint more'n a couple Nv mile furdcr
on he Hospitality urged.
That was how it happened that 1 sat
down that first time before Joe Grad
decks small log cabin.
A fire blazing on the hearth filled
the low ceiled room with red glow of
pitch pine.
1--WE hev strangers tot bull ofting,"
my host remarked. "Howsumever,
the last stranger es come erlong took
sick en- died. That wur on'y ies' when
Dildy's baby gal, kase he give her
buzzom pin wild glass bead in hit
Dunno ez l could call her mine Wen
hit wur savin' fur Dildy's glass
sinner"
Luck was against him." I said,
stretching my feet to the blaze. did
he meet with an ACCIDENT"
'Jes' so, stranger, the accident wur'
he done TUX sick en- died. 'Twan't
long ago. Dildy's growed up sence.
Hoah's Dildy now"
He motioned over his shoulder with
out looking around. A girl of sixteen
stepped into the doorway and hest
tated shyly, while she toyed with her
long plaits of black hair. Two things
riveted my attention instantly. They
evoked a sudden, irrepressible desire to
know more of them. They were
Dildy's face and the pin fastening the
collar of Dildy's blue cotton dress
The one was undeniably beautiful
the other simply mystery in this OBJ
scure cabin. 1t was nothing less than
one of the finest diamonds | had ever
behold. Tongues of fire seemed to
dart and scintillatc in weird brilliancy
from the magnificent solitaire. Some
traces of amazed curiosity and doubt
may have been reflected upon my fea-
lures. for the mountaineer said:
Hits my Dildy, stranger, by way
of introduction, zen | mind me that ar
buzzom pin is the one the Cun'el gin
her"
"Will you show it to me?" l asked,
in bland, persuasive tone. after Dildy
had shaken hands with me in shy cor
diality.
I owned to intense curiosity, not I'M
mixed with some misgivings. The spot
was certainly isolated. The man Grad
deck might be any thing from the unso-
phisticated mountaineer to the crafty,
INSCRIPTIONS highwayman. Closer in
spection satisfied me that the stone was
ION color" of remarkable brilliancv
and set in old-fashioned style. The first
glance showed me that it was of great
value.
at is beauty" I said, cautiously.
"Mebbe so; Dildy likes hit" careless
ly retorted Craddeck, putting at his
corncob pipe. I'D chunked hit in
the Goals long ago eff the Cun'el es
died hadn't guy that ar thing to Dildy.
Hits Gurus how that ar bit NV glass kin
shine"
"Do you know who the stranger
WASP"
Dunno es I ever thought to ask
him. Wife, she mout done hit. I'd
jes' come home from follerin' jackson
an Early four yeah NV fghtin in the
valley en- round Richmond. Plowin'
en- pitchin' corn hedn't KEN handy,
like handlin' muslit, en-, KEN to
think NV hit, faint never been handy
sense, he added, meditatively.
"Was the stranger n soldier in the
Southern armyP"
Dunno as he wur--the Cun'el he'd